Apr 20 2018 — The Canadian Press — NAFTA negotiating teams will keep bargaining through the weekend in an effort to get a deal by early May. The political ministers leading the process are currently leaving Washington, but will be back next week. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland calls it a perpetual negotiating round. She says the talks continue to focus primarily on […]
Apr 17 2018 — The Canadian Press — The U.S. ambassador to Canada delivered a cautious speech in Montreal on Tuesday that was devoid of any real substance regarding the important issues facing the two countries. Kelly Craft spoke of the “shared sensibilities” and “true friendship” between the two nations but offered little on the ongoing renegotiation of NAFTA. “A renovation of NAFTA […]
Apr 17 2018 — Greg Quinn — Bloomberg — Canadians urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to concede on a U.S. demand in Nafta negotiations around investor disputes, while holding firm on calls for more environmental and labor protection. The most frequent advice the government heard in public consultations before North American Free Trade Agreement talks opened in August was to eliminate Chapter 11, the […]
Apr 16 2018 — The Canadian Press — A senior American lawmaker is pressing for changes that would open up Canada’s dairy market — and he wants them in place before his country agrees to any new NAFTA deal. Senior Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer has sent a letter on the issue to U.S. trade czar Robert Lighthizer. Schumer says opening up the dairy […]
Apr 13 2018 — The Canadian Press — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will aim to advance Canada’s position on the North American free trade talks when he meets with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence here over the next two days. There had been hopes leading up to Trudeau’s visit to Peru, where he and the others are attending […]
Apr 11 2018 — The Canadian Press — A Canadian union leader says talk of an impending NAFTA deal is overblown. Jerry Dias is in Washington, where officials are negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement. The Unifor boss says he’s been in contact with the Canadian team and says a deal isn’t close. There had been some hope of the country leaders […]
Apr 9 2018 — The Canadian Press — There’s an 80 per cent chance of a new NAFTA agreement in principle within a month. That’s according to the Mexican minister leading the file. Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo tells the Mexican network Televisa that he believes a deal is probable soon. He says it won’t happen within days, nor — as some had […]
Apr 7 2018 — CBC — China’s ambassador to Canada says he hopes Canada will side with his country as “strong defenders of free trade” in the escalating trade battle between his country and the United States. “China hopes that Canada will hold the justice, stand at the right side of history and work with China to safeguard the multilateral trading […]
Apr 6 2018 — Robert Wolfe — Policy Options — Donald Trump has been clear from the start of his presidency: the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a terrible deal (the “worst trade deal”) for the United States. If it can’t be fixed, he will terminate it. The effort to respond to his concerns while preserving Canada’s and Mexico’s most important free trade […]
Apr 6 2018 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Canadian consumers don’t pay more for milk and dairy products than shoppers in the United States and other dairy producing counties, says a report by a new export advisory firm. “Our research shows that Canadian milk and other dairy retail prices are currently on par with those in other countries,” said a report released by […]
Apr 5 2018 — Katie Simpson — CBC — The next formal round of NAFTA talks has been put on hold, in lieu of a series of high-level political meetings in Washington. The U.S. side had been expected to host the eighth round of trade talks as early as this Sunday, in Washington, but a source with direct knowledge of the situation told CBC […]
Apr 4 2018 — The Canadian Press — With the winds of a potential China-U.S. trade war gaining strength, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says the global trading order that Canada helped create faces its greatest threat since the Second World War. Freeland is offering the dire assessment during a panel discussion in Winnipeg today. Freeland says she will be in Washington on […]
Apr 4 2018 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Almost a month has passed since Canada ratified the CPTPP trade deal and there’s no sign yet that the government is ready to introduce implementing legislation to approve Canada’s participation in the Pacific trade pact. A spokesman for Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said, “There is no time line yet on when we will move forward.” […]
Apr 3 2018 — The Canadian Press — Canadian fruit growers fear that U.S. produce destined for China may be diverted closer to home and flood their market following the imposition of new tariffs. Ontario Apple Growers general manager Kelly Ciceran says the 15 per cent tariff on fruit such as apples, cherries, peaches, raspberries and cranberries will likely lead to more U.S. […]
Mar 29 2018 — NY Times — Trade pacts typically require years of detailed negotiations. The North American Free Trade Agreement needed two years. Creation of the World Trade Organization took eight. The Trump administration wants to remake global trade in a matter of months. To secure agreements quickly, th